Ulsan Hyundai defensive midfielder Won Du-jae, arguably Asian football’s most exciting defensive talent for the future, had already impressed his coach Kim Do-hoon without kicking a ball. He took on a challenge head on in the 2020 AFC Champions League East Zone centralized tournament being hosted in Qatar.
The Most Valuable Player of South Korea’s win at the 2020 AFC U-23 Championships in January had kept up a positive demeanour while in quarantine in the 2022 FIFA World Cup host nation after arriving from the national team camp in Austria where there was an outbreak of six COVID cases prior to the 17 November friendly against Asian champions Qatar.
Always complying with the comprehensive COVID safety protocols laid out and implemented by Qatar as the centralized hosting venue of the competition, the youngster successfully saw out his quarantine period in Qatar and came on as a second-half substitute in his team’s penultimate Group F game on 30 November to set up a goal.
Come the East Zone quarterfinal against Melbourne Victory on Sunday, Won went one better by opening his scoring in the tournament with a well-executed header, outsmarting taller and more physical Australian defenders in the process as his team won their sixth successive game, scoring more than two goals against the opposition.
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This was not the first time he had the better of physical Australian opposition. During the semifinals of the AFC U-23 Championships in Thailand, his deft tackling and eye for the quick pass had floundered Australia, who were the perceived favourites ahead of the game.
Coach Kim’s utmost confidence in Won, therefore, comes as no surprise. Even the sheer enormity of the scope and nature of the challenge -- potentially negotiating a rampaging former FIFA World Cup and UEFA Champions League winner Andres Iniesta of Vissel Kobe during the tournament – does not deter Kim from reposing his trust in Won.
“Du-jae is the future of Korean football,” a visibly proud Kim told media following his side’s 3-0 win against Melbourne Victory. “My club and country have expectations of him and I believe that he has enormous potential to rise to any challenge. I believe that Du-jae can display his passing skills on the pitch against any opponent. I asked him to lead my defensive organization today and he showed his quality in that area also. He scored a good goal as well.”
Coach Kim, a former South Korean international striker who played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, alluded to the team spirit in his club’s ranks as one of the reasons behind the young players in his side, such as Won, not being overwhelmed by the reputations of those in opposition ranks.
“It is true some of our future opponents in the competition have big players such as Iniesta. But we also have experienced players in our ranks who have been to FIFA World Cups. Therefore, I do not think that anyone in my team will be afraid of the big players in the opposition,” he added.
If young Won were to fulfill his coach’s expectations against the likes of Iniesta and Renato Augusto, it would indeed be a spectacle to treasure for Asian football lovers in the host nation of the continent’s second FIFA World Cup.